He's the Man
by Anna J. Perley
Summary: Aaron Hotchner. Though he's all seriousness and stoic expressions, the BAU's Unit Chief and team leader is more than you think he is, and more than he chooses to show. Aaron Hotchner...Well, he's the man. ***One-shot based on "I'm the Man" by Aloe Blacc


**A/N: So I was being a weirdo and staring at an ugly old wall when low and behold, "I'm the Man" by Aloe Blacc starts to play. I have no idea why, but I automatically thought of Hotch just by listening to this song.**

 **My original thought: Hotch telling everyone to pretty much tell everyone that he's the man.**

 **I figured that if I actually wrote it like that, and I originally planned on writing it in Hotch's POV, it would make Hotch sound kind of conceited. So I ended up just winging it, and kablam! This is what I came up with! I hope you enjoy it! Sorry for my brash childishness. I get all giddy when writing authors notes. It makes me feel like I actually do something important in my life...**

 *****Disclaimer- I do not own Criminal Minds and any of the characters (though I actually was on the show once), nor do I own the "I'm the Man". All credit goes to their rightful owner.**

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" _It takes more to be a man then act like one. People may see and think of you differently, but in the end, it is you who knows who you are. Whether you are a man or not-that is something you must answer yourself." - Snb4evss_

 _Aaron Hotchner._ Though one might not even know this man personally, even his name sent chills down their spine.

Aaron Hotchner was the serious, emotion and expressionless, stoic-faced Unit Chief of the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI in Quantico, Virginia. He was always serious, never seemed to kid around, and obviously knew what he was doing. He was a workaholic, and always made sure he stayed on top of everything. Although he wasn't always the first one in the bullpen at mornings, he was usually the last one to leave.

Doing what he did in his everyday life, hunting down serial killers and rapists, and saving endless amounts of victims and families, one would expect Aaron Hotchner to be bitter with the world and those who lived in it. That he would never be able to enjoy the world as it was for knowing and seeing, even experiencing, the things that other people who lived in the same world did.

But that wasn't exactly the case. Although Aaron Hotchner had experienced some of the worst things one could ever go through because of his field of work, seeing his old friends and colleagues breakdown and lose who they are because of what they did, having to face the fact that his old wife Haley was killed by a stalker and murderer, and watching his friends, his family, get shot or tortured by an UNSUB, he never let it get to him and affect the way he lived outside of work.

Sure he tried to move on and keep going, but that didn't mean that he wasn't scarred for life. It only meant that even though Aaron had been through hell and back, he made an effort to never let the tragic happenings of the past affect his behavior and mindset. If anything, those events made him a better man. Smarter, stronger, and a better person. But even though the great Aaron Hotchner was always serious and seemed to be emotionless at work, that didn't mean that he was like that everywhere and all the time.

Surprisingly enough, Aaron Hotchner, to his son Jack's eyes, was the hero of all heroes. The awesome, fun-loving dad who always watched out for him and made sure he was safe. The heroic dad who's everyday job was to catch bad guys and put them behind bars, rescuing the innocent people of whatever area, city, or state he was in. The understanding dad he talked to everyday about the troubles of fourth grade homework, or how he got a boo-boo (as he stilled called it) from tripping at a soccer game, or even talking about his new crush, a girl named Melanie who sat by his table at lunch. To his son, Aaron Hotchner was a _heroic man,_ and of course, the best father a boy could ever have.

People also didn't know the side of Aaron that he showed when he and Beth were still together. Beth saw a different side of Aaron. Compassionate, understanding, and surprisingly romantic at times he wanted to be. She recalled the day he came by her apartment on Valentines Day, a bouquet of beautiful flowers in hand. That was the day he first kissed her. Oh, what a memorable day it was. Yes, sometimes Aaron Hotchner could be a _man of romance_ as well.

As for SSA Dr. Spencer Reid, besides the serious workaholic leader of their team and unit chief of the BAU, Aaron was a great friend of Spencer's, and apparently, had great advice on pretty much anything to give. In times before, after, or during cases, Spencer would ask the great unit chief a thing or two regarding advice on something he wasn't sure about. For instance, the time he had met a girl in a bookshop named Marly. Because the only person he knew who wouldn't spread the word of Spencer having a slight interest in a young woman or be teased to death was Hotch, he had asked him instead. Although he ended up never seeing Marly again, Hotch's advice stuck to Spencer, and he knew that maybe someday he would need it with another girl, possibly the right one, instead. So Aaron Hotchner was a _man with good advice_ as well.

To Jennifer Jareau, or JJ as her team/Family called her, Aaron Hotchner was more than just their unit chief as well. On some of their days off or even during break, JJ would talk to Hotch about the joys/troubles of parenting. Because Aaron was the only other person on the team with a child of his own, disregarding Alex Blake and David Rossi, they would often have conversations regarding their children, setting up play dates or even talking about what they do to coax their child into eating their vegies. He was responsible in not only his work and with his team, but with his son, and her's as well. JJ saw Aaron Hotchner as a _man of responsibility_.

Derek Morgan saw Hotch as a strong and confident person. He admired Hotch for being able to hold his ground when situations or cases got hard, or for being so level-headed and never letting a case affect the way he lived his life. Even when Hotch had a problem or didn't feel right about something, he wasn't one to hold it in and not mention it to the team. He voiced his opinion, and was always open with the team about what was going on or how he felt. To Derek Morgan, Hotch was a _man with strength and confidence._

Penelope Garcia saw Hotch as someone who was selfless and even a little fearless. He never hesitated to put himself in the place of another agent, friend, or family member in times when things like that happened. He put others before himself. To Garcia, that was very admirable. The fact that he wasn't afraid to put himself in front of an unsub and the barrel of a gun to protect the people he cared about always amazed her. Not that she wouldn't do it herself. Garcia was most definitely positive that she'd do anything to keep her family, her team, safe. It's just that Hotch never had a second thought. To Garcia, he was _man of courage and selflessness._

David Rossi looked at Aaron as a light hearted man, in appropriate times, and a slight joker. Though he wouldn't show it at work or in professional places, sometimes not even in front of their own team members, Hotch did in fact have a humorous side to him. Sometimes, Dave and Hotch would talk in their offices about a funny story one of them had heard or done before. Hotch would even crack a joke or two. Whenever Hotch did choose to let apart of this side of him show at work never ceased to surprise David though. It wasn't that he was surprised of Hotch's light-hearted persona. It was at times Hotch chose to show it that surprised him. David Rossi saw Aaron as a _man of surprises and humor._

When Emily Prentiss was with them, she saw Hotch as a person who was careful. Hotch was careful to act a certain way at a certain time. He was careful with what he said and when he chose to say it. He was careful with choosing the expression he wore and the tone he used in voice. She knew that he had to be careful with what he did and chose to do. Saying the wrong thing or having the wrong expression in front of an UNSUB could affect their behavior. It was the same with a victim's family. Although Emily knew he did it because he had to, she couldn't help but think that Hotch was well in the department of self-control. Other people wouldn't be able to do that. Aaron Hotchner was a _man with good self-control_ to Emily Prentiss.

Way back when Elle Greenaway was still on the team, she looked to Hotch at Hotch as a person of seriousness. Never truly showing facial expression, except in other times, was meant to make it seem that way for other people as well. Hotch was headstrong, serious, and worked hard in everything he did. Because of that, Elle respected him and what he'd done. To Elle, Hotch was a _man who did everything and gave everything his best._

Before Jason Gideon had left the team, he saw something in Hotch. Hotch was serious, was always in his best mindset, was level headed, and never hesitated in retaliating and coming up with a new plan. Hotch worked fast, doing the best he could in every case, and staying the strong team leader their team needed him to be. He was confident and what he did, and showed a great amount of leadership. Jason Gideon saw a man filled with potential.

As for Haley Brooks, Aaron's first wife, she saw Aaron as a troubled man. A troubled man who did everything in his power to keep his family together. A troubled man who did everything in his power to keep both her and her son safe. She knew that he loved them with all his heart, and she knew that Aaron would take care of their son when she was gone. Although their marriage seemed to fail, she knew that he did everything he could to save it. Haley was thankful for that. She was thankful for knowing that he still loved them, and that he would still do anything for them even after what had happened. Although Aaron Hotchner was a troubled man, he still tried to face his demons and work everything out for the sake of his family. To Haley, Hotch was _a man of perseverance._

Now the victims and families were different. They didn't see or know Hotch the way his team, family, knew him. What they did see was his will to help other people out, to help other families and innocent people not have to suffer the same tragedy other families and victims had. Hotch worked hard with what he did. Although Hotch seemed to be slightly intimidating and overly-serious, the victims and families saw him as a _man who worked hard to help people in need._

As for the UNSUBS and people he interrogated, even the police force and Bureau, Hotch, to them, was a force never to be reckoned with. He could hit the right nerve, make the right impression, make them feel the right feeling to make them cower in their seats, or admit to a murder or kidnapping. He was intimidating, scary, and relentless to them. That's the man they saw him as.

Sure, Hotch was a serious man, but other people knew he was so much more. Hotch was a heroic man, a man of romance, a man with exceedingly good advice, a man with responsibility, a man of strength and confidence, a man of courage and selflessness, a man full of surprises and humor, a man with good self-control, a man who gave everything his best, a man full of potential, a man of perseverance, and a man who worked hard to help people in need.

 _Yes, Aaron Hotchner was the man, and there was nothing wrong about it._

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 **A/N: So in the end, I ended up wanting to feel like a bigger person than I actually was and share a very smart inspirational thought on what I think it means to be a man, thus the birth of the quote I wrote up there. I guess it wouldn't be considered a "quote" if it wasn't said by someone famous or important, but hey. Just let me enjoy the moment while it lasts. I think that I actually did a pretty good job in coming up with that. It makes me seem like I actually know what I'm doing.**

 **Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it. If you would like one similar to this One-shot only with a different character, please let me know in the reviews and tell me who you'd like. I know I left out a couple of characters such as Alex Blake and Seaver and junk, but laziness got the best of me, and this is whatcha got! I just hope that you enjoyed it! Let me know what you think! Lots of love!**

 **-Snb4evss**


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